Florida Trip Part 2

Pelicans and Dolphins

The weather is warming up lately and it makes me think about our Florida trip.  On our last full day in Treasure Island, FL, I had my best beach walk ever.  The Brown Pelicans were very busy fishing along with the Ospreys and terns that I wrote about in one of my last posts.  This bird has a special spot in my heart.  The Brown Pelican was another one of the poster child for the effects of DDT and just like the Bald Eagle, they have recovered amazingly well.  

Then I noticed something, The pelicans seemed to be attracted to a certain area where I caught one glimpse of a dorsal fin and then another, and then another.  The Bottlenose Dolphins were fishing too.

I think there was about a half dozen dolphins hunting right off the beach.

The pelicans were using the dolphins to locate fish and round them up.  Then they would....

SPLASH DOWN!!!  It was really fun watching these two kinds of animals fish and indirectly work together to catch their breakfast.  Treasure Island beaches are one of the best spots to view Bottlenose Dolphins in Florida.  Who needs to take a boat tour when you get up early and get a little lucky walking the beaches?

Happy Birding! 

Florida Trip

Hovering Style of Hunting

We took our annual trip to Treasure Island, FL after Christmas to enjoy some beach time and warmer weather.  Our two boys battled illnesses for the trip but we still enjoyed the time there.  I got some time in the mornings to do some beach birding.   

Two types of birds that were very active fishing in the morning were the Ospreys,  and the Terns(Royal Tern and Common Tern).  They use a very similar hunting style.  Both hover over the water looking down to locate a fish.  

When they spot a fish, the terns lead with their long beak and dive into the water.   The Ospreys lead with their sharp talons and plunge into the water too.

The Bald Eagle uses a different approach.  Here is a Eagle perched by the Hudson River looking for a fish on the surface.  The much larger eagle uses the perch then fly when a fish is locate approach.  They usually just get their talons wet while the terns and Ospreys submerge most of their entire body into the water.  They use very different approaches but both are very effective in catching fish.